West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-06-23


door No answer, and not a sound 10 be
heard
When the men, thoroughly alarmed,
effected an entrance, they found old
Mulhgan dead by his own hand-an Ell
dcntly premeditated act for he was care
fully dressed in a new suit OF black broad
cloth. On the table near was $50, wrapped
In paper on which was written: "This
will bury me. Lay me under the oak
tree in the yard
This was all. Not another line of
writing was found in the house and not
another cent of money though it was
well known he had made good crops and
spent nothing. His furniture was of the
meancst, vet many valuable books were
found Nothing, however, was discovered
that would help to reveal who he really
was, and where he came from If he
had friends and relatives, they did not
answer any of the advertisements put in
the county newspapers; and, as no one
in that county was willing To buy the
property, saddlcd as it was with ghost,
the farm went gradually to ruin. IL il
had not been for the ghost, the very name
of the man would have pcrished from the
memory OF the community.
Muldoon would have given much to
avoid the house, but the only wagon
road in that vicinity led directly in front
of it. When he arrived opposite it,
with kind of rimid curiosity he pulled
up, and took a long look at the desolate
scene.
Theafiernoon sun was shining brightly,
but IT did not seem to bring warmth to
the chcerlcSs place. Fences were rotting
on the ground, and overgrown with
briers; the doors and shutters of the
cabin had fallen, and looked like eyeless
sockets, through which you could see the
eedchoked fields beyond.
A sudden impulse came upon Muldoon
to peep in the cabin, and see how every
thing looked there. 1t is an impulse
which frequently moves towards to meet
something dreaded half way.
'An' I'll jest be afther takin' little
peep" Muldoon muttercd, as he sprang
from the cart, his heart beating with
nervousness. "The sun is shinin', and
maybe if | sec wild my two eyes that
there's nothin' in there, l won't be 80
scared comm back
As he stepped on the porch, the rustic
of the dead leaves under his feet gave
him strong inclination to take TO his
heels and fly, but he forced himself to
enter the cabin and look around. Moth
ing there, but lizards sllurrying over the
leaf-strcwn floor, and cobwebs covering
wall and ceiling. The floor was rotting,
and the chimney had fallen in.
Where the brick hearth once stood,
there yawned black gulf and Mudoon,
gazing down into It's del this, heard "A
sudden stir, and two fiery points of light
seemed TO spring from the darkness.
The boy gave u wild shrek, and dashed
out of the cabin in long leaps, which
quickly landed him in his cart As for
Brandy and Whisky, the two wretched
old mules, if the lash gave them time for
thought between Mulligan's and the
mill, they must have felt that wildcat
was ON their backs.
1T was the ghost peepin' out av the
hole" Muldoon thought can, howly
Moses how will l pass there tonight
and git home aloiye"
The miller was furious at having corn
brought at that hour TO grind.
1--WE got through grindin', and old
Fell knowed It," ne grumbled 'Its
jist his drafted mcanness-hatin' TO send
early-he's so 'fraid Of losin' a minute in
the twelve hours. aint a-goin' 10 start
my mill at this hour, not fur the President
Of these United States. There, Pat,
dump that corn out and take this here
bag Of meal. Ef he'll send Monday, he'll
git the rest. He's so plague taxed
mean! tn teach him lesson when he
has TO make two trips TO mill"
MuldoOn Obeycd, but il seemed to him
an age before he got the corn out and
the meal in. 1t was nearly twilight now,
and would be almost dark before ne
reached the Mulligan farm
'Ef Bell don't drive the beatencst old
critters" the miller said, examining the
mules. They're plumb broke kown,
Jest comm four mile. Look here, Mu-
doom, cl the ghost chases you, you won't
have a chance. Jim Collins says as how
it follered him two mile, and it was the
tearinest race he ever tuck, and hc wos
on Grey Eagle, too"
"And then how may the ghost look,
Misther LytlcW asked poor MuldoOn, his
teeth beginning TO chatter
ooh amt never seed il but heaps OF
folks says as how it changes, sometimes
white and sometimes black ~
"And, Misther Lytle, I'm terrible
scared, Muldoon said. ~ see sOmcthin'
NIfiuiui bN blc tHlluutl -llht ghosts
eyes, all fire Please, sur, let one av the
b'ys come home wild mci'
"Thcrc amt q one on the place. tho
miller said. "It's Saturday, and they all
went yisitin SO you seed sOmethin' did
youi Well, Pat, jest whip up them crit
tcrs. and cf they're spry you'll Git past
Mulligan fore dark There's n moon,
too"
The miller was as firm q believer IN the
ghost as poor Muldoon himself. and he
felt for the lad as he sow him trying to
push Brandy and Whisky into unusual
speed. But In spite Of MuIdoons efforts
it was nearly dark before the haunted
house was reached The stars shouc.
however, and the young crescent moon
threw its feeble beams on the dark pines.
but there were weird shadows quiycring
over the road
~ wish I was back i'm old Oirland.
MuIdoon muttcrcd. as hc ncarcd the
dreaded spot "Thc Banshccs arc da
cent spcrits. and jest cry out They
don't thry ter choke the loifc outer
poor innocent lad os they say the ghosts
do in Ameriky Iowly Moses What
is thatW
he was opposite thc house There
was % loud rustic. and something heavy
seemed TO- strike The ground, and then 60
his panic stricken cars came q sound of
heavy breathing lie glanced back aud